Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

quick Reviews: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

By: Matthew Adams

Campaign:Explosions, Robots, Cybernetic Powers & Secret Zombie Campaign. Black Ops 3 gives a player a more linear campaign then found in previous iterations of the series, while providing a more Michael Bay like atmosphere, if that's possible! The campaign if fun and on single player "veteran" difficulty it's rather difficult, but they decided that was not hard enough so they added "realistic" difficulty. Which is literally the equivalent of nerdy video gamer (me) going out and fighting in a war with only "Call of Duty" as my training. You don't last long. The Zombie campaign called "Nightmares" in my opinion is a better campaign (I am an avid zombie mode lover, but we will get to that soon). Yes it reuses many of the same assets, and dubbed over cutscenes, but I think overall it provided a more enjoyable experience.

Multiplayer:If you like CoD multiplayer then you should like this. Along with all of the previous improvements to the CoD multiplayer, Specialists are a new layer that allows players to change the way they play. These Specialists allow you to pick a "class" that gives you an additional killstreak like reward based off of time played and points gained. You also have the increased mobility options that have become a staple in the most recent additions of the games. The pick 10 system is still here; and you know the 13 year olds are always going to kick your face in. So all in all, its multiplayer.

Zombies!:If it's Treyarch Zombies, I know I am always in for a treat, so much so, that if they released a standalone zombies game I would buy it over traditional CoD. This time around there are no exo-zombie, because Treyarch decided to return more to its roots and create a 1940s/1950s Noir like atmosphere, equipped with all the futuristic weaponry you find in the campaign. Also making a return is a deep narrative with secret puzzles, all the perk machines you have come to love, and a cast of fairly famous actors/actress (Jeff Goldblum, & Ron Perlman, Neal McDonough & Heather Graham). Alongside the returning items such as the "ray gun", and the "pack-a-punch machine", Zombies also added an ability to turn into a creature at certain purple flames spread throughout the map. In this form you have the ability to open locked doors, turn on the perk machines with your electrical attack, and go through special entrances that only the creature can see. In addition to this you have a gumball machine which provides a passive ability such as: being invisible to zombies for a period of time, and respawning with the weapons you died with, and as any long time player knows, this could be a huge ability to have ready to go. Overall Zombies is tough! Seemingly much more difficult than previous versions, and I couldn't love it more.

Conclusion:This is a win for Treyarch, in my opinion. They have succeeded with the best gameplay, and innovations in the franchise and I think this is a testimony to that. No they weren't the first to do jump packs or "super soldiers" but they do refine it in a way that makes it seem a little more "grounded" and I do use that term extremely loosely. Overall with the double campaign offering, strong multiplayer fanbase, and another great version of Zombies, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a game to keep on your radars!